Weather contributes both directly and indirectly to delays, incidents, and accidents in air traffic. The increasing demand for air transport makes air traffic more vulnerable to adverse weather conditions. But "weather" is not a technical problem that can be simply solved. Predicting weather is by nature difficult and only possible within limits. It is therefore necessary to observe and forecast the changing state of the atmosphere as precisely and as timely as possible. This must be followed by a combination of measures for air traffic management and tactical manoeuvring, on the ground and in the aircraft, to minimise the impact of adverse weather conditions.

This interdisciplinary challenge will be addressed in the DLR Project "Wetter & Fliegen". The project aims at augmenting safety and efficiency of air transport. This high-level goal shall be gained by building

Integrated Terminal Weather Systems (ITWS) for the Airports Frankfurt and München with the components wake vortex, deep convection (thunderstorms), and winter weather to provide tailored weather information in the Terminal Manoeuvring Area to all stakeholders (Airport Weather) and

On-board and ground-based systems for automated control, surveillance and information as well as hazard detecting sensors to increase the performance of the aircraft when confronted with wind gusts, wake vortices and thunderstorms (Flight Performance).